If Papi is going to be out any length of time bring up the kid, he can't do any worse than Lowrie or DmC, who should be sent down or released. Ryan may just put a spark in our lineup.Posted by craze4sox

Papi just said on the postgame show that he expects to return to the lineup next Tuesday.

If Papi is going to be out any length of time bring up the kid, he can't do any worse than Lowrie or DmC, who should be sent down or released. Ryan may just put a spark in our lineup.Posted by craze4sox

Use Lavarnway as a DH for now. Hit either Aviles or Scutaro second ( small ball may be necessary). Pedroia - 4th. Crawford ninth; benched against lefties. Pinch hit for Varitek as soon as starter is pulled. Who the heck knows with Lowrie? Reddick only vs. righties. We need a rightfielder vs. lefties. I would have taken Willy Mo Pena for crying out loud.

Use Lavarnway as a DH for now. Hit either Aviles or Scutaro second ( small ball may be necessary). Pedroia - 4th. Crawford ninth; benched against lefties. Pinch hit for Varitek as soon as starter is pulled. Who the heck knows with Lowrie? Reddick only vs. righties. We need a rightfielder vs. lefties. I would have taken Willy Mo Pena for crying out loud.Posted by frankn

Lavarnway should be the one and only choice until Papi returns. He deserves it and the Sox have no excuse not to bring him up in this situation. Lowrie and McD are not reliable bench players.

Can't be sure Lavarnway can hit major league pitching yet. Wait until Sept. when the rosters can expand and see what he can do. Not good to throw him into the fire right now and have his confidence take a hit.

If the Sox need offense they may have too sign some long forgotten hitter, who is available? Lavarnaway was my first choice for a call up but maybe Brett Carroll or Hector Luna would be better suited considering Youk and The RF situation,Luna can play RF and 3B Carroll is a corner OF. At any rate I have too agree that the Darnsmell Mac experiment is probably coming to an end especially after todays gaff in the first inning and another day of no production offensively..Also is there anyone willing to place Carl Crapford on the DL,he has the rarest of diseases I can't hit in the limelight disease....

Can't be sure Lavarnway can hit major league pitching yet. Wait until Sept. when the rosters can expand and see what he can do. Not good to throw him into the fire right now and have his confidence take a hit.Posted by Diamondtalk

?? wait till Sept? You are questioning whether he can hit big league pitching now, but think he might in Sept during the real crunch time??

Can't be sure Lavarnway can hit major league pitching yet. Wait until Sept. when the rosters can expand and see what he can do. Not good to throw him into the fire right now and have his confidence take a hit.Posted by Diamondtalk

It could be wishful thinking on my part but the way Ryan has adapted so quickly to every level of pitching tells me he might be something special.

In Response to Re: Lavarnway's turn? : It could be wishful thinking on my part but the way Ryan has adapted so quickly to every level of pitching tells me he might be something special. I can't wait to see him up herePosted by craze4sox

Agreed, the kid has shown history of thriving at next level. Also with Youkilis possibly out we may need to look at Middlebrooks...although AA to bigs a HUGE leap for position players. Be nice if caught lightning in a bottle.Will have to research Luna though, perhaps if BOTH Ortiz and Youk go to DL some combo of LaVarnaway & Luna / Sutton/ Lars A. to fill in ?Bench depth looks BAD...and McDonald a waste of space .

Even so, the fact that Lavarnway was removed from the game raises the intrigue about the possibility that he could soon be joining the Red Sox in Kansas City and making his big league debut.

Is Ryan Lavarnway about to get called up to the Red Sox?

By Alex SpeierThe Red Sox are amidst a significant offensive drought, having just gone through three straight home games in which they managed just three hits in each contest — an unprecedented development in the franchise’s 111-year history. And with David Ortiz sidelined by bursitis for what the slugger hoped was “no more than a week,” the Sox are missing a major bat in the middle of their lineup. His absence has been felt. The Sox are also dealing with injuries to Marco Scutaro and Kevin Youkilis that have left their roster thin.

So, with Ortiz out, an obvious question emerged: Would the Red Sox consider calling up Ryan Lavarnway, the catcher who has been mashing all year in Double-A and Triple-A? After all, entering the day, Lavarnway was hitting .304 with a .386 OBP, .614 slugging mark, .999 OPS and 16 homers in 54 Triple-A games. He has 30 homers between Portland and Pawtucket this year in just 109 games.

According to a source familiar with the team’s thinking on Wednesday afternoon, the Sox were ready to consider such a move if one of their injured players would require a trip to the disabled list. The team would be unlikely to disrupt Lavarnway’s development as a player and catcher — and to shake up the roster — if a bat might be needed for just a couple days. But while acknowledging that Lavarnway still will require time to develop his defensive game, evaluators both inside and outside the organization have concluded that the 24-year-old is ready to face the highest level of competition as a hitter.

“I have no doubt he could go up [to the majors] and handle it offensively with his approach and swing,” farm director Mike Hazen said recently.

And, of course, the absence of Ortiz offers the perfect occasion for a potential call-up, since it could give Lavarnway a chance to DH while also working with catching instructor Gary Tuck and catchers Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

That being the case, it was noteworthy that Lavarnway — who was in the lineup and went 0-for-2 with a walk as DH on Wednesday — was lifted in the seventh inning for pinch-hitter Lars Anderson.

There is not yet official word about a call-up. Indeed, a team source suggested that Lavarnway’s exit from the Pawtucket game was precautionary. The team will evaluate its medical situation on Thursday to determine if anyone will land on the DL; if so, Lavarnway would seem the likely move. However, it would appear that a final determination hasn’t necessarily been made.

Even so, the fact that Lavarnway was removed from the game raises the intrigue about the possibility that he could soon be joining the Red Sox in Kansas City and making his big league debut.